‘She touched the photograph in its gilt frame that was always on her desk, of a young, thin woman with very short hair and a baby in her arms. She had one last story to tell. Theirs. And it began in hell on earth.’It is 1942 and Eva Adami has boarded a train to Auschwitz. Barely able to breathe due to the press of bodies and exhausted from standing up for two days, she can think only of her … only of her longed-for reunion with her husband Michal, who was sent there six months earlier.
But when Eva arrives at Auschwitz, there is no sign of Michal and the stark reality of the camp comes crashing down upon her. As she lies heartbroken and shivering on a thin mattress, her head shaved by rough hands, she hears a whisper. Her bunkmate, Sofie, is reaching out her hand…
As the days pass, the two women learn each other’s hopes and dreams – Eva’s is that she will find Michal alive in this terrible place, and Sofie’s is that she will be reunited with her son Tomas, over the border in an orphanage in Austria. Sofie sees the chance to engineer one last meeting between Eva and Michal and knows she must take it even if means befriending the enemy…
But when Eva realises she is pregnant she fears she has endangered both their lives. The women promise to protect each other’s children, should the worst occur. For they are determined to hold on to the last flower of hope in the shadows and degradation: their precious children, who they pray will live to tell their story when they no longer can.
A heart-breaking story of survival, where life or death relies on the smallest chance and happiness can be found in the darkest times. Fans of The Choice and The Tattooist of Auschwitz will fall in love with this beautiful novel.
Readers are captivated by The Child of Auschwitz:
‘This hauntingly heart-breaking story is one of pure, instinctual survival. It is a story of fierce friendships, unbreakable spirits, and the most powerful love possible … I was so spellbound by this captivating, riveting read that I could not put it down until I read every last word.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This book grabbed me from the first sentence and didn’t let me go for the entire journey. I had goosebumps while reading… It is a beautiful story.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘You will cry, you will be addicted from the start and will find it hard to put down. This book ranks high on my favourite books list a BRILLIANT book and worth far more than 5* in my opinion EXCELLENT.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A book that plays with your emotions, sad and poignant in parts and a book I just couldn’t put down. A compelling, haunting story. Read it in one day.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This stunning historical fiction in the setting of Auschwitz will haunt me for a long time to come. It’s a story of love, hope and told through a combination of the present and the past flashbacks. It completely captivated me that I read it in a day because I just couldn’t stop’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘The Child of Auschwitz by Lily Graham. Such a beautifully written, incredible story of love, loss, friendship, family… this book was very, very good.’ Abbygabbyreadsrightnow, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This beautiful story needs to be read and cherished.’ Netgalley Reviewer,⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘This story will stay with me. And despite the despicable conditions love can be born of the situation.. if I could rate higher than five stars I would. Superb!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I found this such an emotional and evocative read and it kept me gripped and turning those pages well into the night. …Great characterization and rich descriptive prose that made you feel the cold and their everyday hunger and agony made this a 5 stars highly recommended read from me.’ Netgalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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a must read
Born in Auschwitz prison, does a baby have any chance at survival? Her mother does everything within her power to make sure she does.
This story just left me speechless. Ms. Graham does an amazing job of telling of the horrors, struggles, and hope in this WWII story. Did I love the story? Yes. Do I recommend others read the story? Absolutely! May history never be forgotten.
This is more historical fiction about World War II, but it is based in the concentration camps of Auschwitz. The central character is Eva, who actually leaves her home voluntarily so that she can hopefully be with her husband, who was chosen to board the trains. It takes a long time but she finally finds her husband and he is almost starved to death and has been beaten, but seeing her again gives him hope. They spend a few nights together and then again are separated but she finds out that she is pregnant. She’s made friends with several of the women in her bunkhouse and is especially close to Sofie. Sophie has more or less sacrificed her self in order to get more food and allow Eva to meet her husband and so they and a few other women decide they must hide the pregnancy from the Nazis. It’s a very moving book and it is told well; from non-fiction accounts I have read about the concentration camps, this author has done a lot of preparing and makes you feel like you were there in that horrible place with her. I recommend it highly.
How do you say you enjoyed a book that has so much suffering? But I would read it again. We should never forget how cruel some races can be to another.
Even though it was about difficult times I loved it. I couldn’t put it down.
I loved this book. The characters were vivid in my mind, and I felt that I shared every pain they were forced to endure. We must never forget.
I loved this book!
A deep look into the resilience of some and evil of others. Horrifying and yet encouraging.
Realistic characters!
I’m a big fan of historical novels, during and post WWII, especially. This author did a fantastic job of showing how true love and friend’s loyalty can keep you going even when life seems impossible. One of the best Auschwitz novels I’ve ever read.
Vivid. Marvelous
I find books about the horrors of Auschwitz tragic and unimaginable. I think we need to learn how horrible things can be. It makes me realize how blessed I am.
This is a lovely written story of determination and endurance in the most hopeless of circumstances. Two women, separated from their families, find friendship in the most inhumane environment imaginable. Amidst brutality, starvation, loss of dignity and almost certain death, a new life dares to emerge. Harrowing and atmospheric, troubling and moving, this is a haunting story that is not easily forgotten.
A haunting story of love, friendship and survival, I do wish this was a bit more “in depth” in parts – not that I enjoyed hearing about the atrocities of the concentration camps, but I felt some more detail could have helped draw me in as a reader a bit more. I also felt that the ending seemed somewhat abrupt. Overall, 3.5 stars.
A fascinating look at the human spirit in the face of pure evil, this book had me running the gamut of emotions. Eva was an inspiration with her ability to find hopefulness even in the darkest and direst of situations, and there were significant sacrifices that were made by friends and family alike. There were gut-wrenching scenes and references that illustrated the sheer brutality of the Nazis. These may be difficult for some people to get through, but they are true to what we now know occurred. It was very well-written, and I recommend it. For a detailed review, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a complimentary, pre-release, digital ARC of this book.
Hope and Promises in the most dire circumstances
During the Nazi occupation the Jewish people were subjected to great hardship and injustice simply because they were Jewish. They were rounded up and sent to camps, families were separated and many were burned in the gas chambers or perished because of the deplorable conditions in camps such as Auschwitz. Few survived and even fewer were the children.
This is the story of a child that was born in Auschwitz and survived. It is the story of Eve and Michael and her family and the story of her friend Sophie.
The story is of Eve’s time in Auschwitz, her friends Sophie, Helga and the others also in this camp. Through a man named Herman Eve was able to find her husband Michael, and spend a few hours with him before he was sent away to work in a factory. Later she learned she was pregnant. The child was born in Auschwitz. Her friends helped her hide the baby and Sophie gave her life to save Eve and the baby.
When the camp was liberated Helga went with Eve as her family was gone. They returned to Eve’s home.
The rest of the story is contained within the pages of this book. I don’t know how they survived the camp and the conditions. Such cruelty is so hard to understand.
I think during this time God must have been crying for these people. What a horrible dark time in the existence of the human race. We must read and remember lest we forget. This must never happen again.
What a tragic and realistic story this has been. Through all the evil there was hope, friendship and love.
I highly recommend this book.
Thanks to Bookouture, Lily Graham, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of this book.
This is my first book by this author, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I will be reading more book by this author. She has a beautiful style of writing. It is full of details, but still with a good flow. to the story.
I have read several books about the Holocaust and it is a subject that is hard to read about. It is heartbreaking, confronting and it shows humanity in it’s worst, but also it can show hope and survival. This book grabbed me from the first sentence and didn’t let me go for the entire journey. I had goosebumps while reading.
Lily Graham focusses her story on the people in Auschwitz and not so much the horrors. It is there, but not in a lot of graphic detail. In flashback we get told the background story of the main characters and what brought them to this point and all their loss, hopes and dreams.
It is a beautiful story.
I am emotionally drained! I just finished The Child of Auschwitz. I read a lot of WWII fiction and Lily Graham’s book really got to me. The story traveled from Prague in 1938 through the war years at Auschwitz and after the war as the main character makes her way back to Prague and a journey to fulfill the promise she made to Sophie. In all the sadness, Graham is still able to show how Hope is found in her characters. I think I will be thinking about Eva, Sophie and the others in this amazing story for a long time. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love World War II Historical Fiction and this book did not disappoint. This is the story of Eva Adami, her best friend Sofie Weis, Helga and Vanda who are all imprisoned in Auschwitz trying to survive the horrors of the concentration camp during World War II. It is told in a then and now format with then detailing Eva being a 21-year-old artist falling in love and eventually marrying Michal Adami, a concert violinist. This is a heartbreaking story that is a real page turner. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this fantastic book in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys WWII Historical Fiction as it will not disappoint you.